AboitizPower expands hydroelectric business

MANILA, Philippines – The 8.5-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric power plant of Aboitiz Power Corporation in Isabela is set to begin commercial operations this November, in a bid to ramp up the company’s portfolio of renewable energy (RE) sources.

This is after its subsidiary, SN AboitizPower, completed the commissioning of the Maris Main Canal 1 hydroelectric power plant located in Barangay Ambatali in Ramon, Isabela, the listed power firm said on Sunday, November 19.

The $47-million Maris hydroelectric power plant is the first greenfield project of SN AboitizPower, which took the firm two years to build.

It is composed of two units of Kaplan pit type turbines with generator nameplate capacity of 4.25 MW each.

Antonio Moraza, AboitizPower president and chief operating officer, said the company’s continued expansion of its RE portfolio is in line with its balanced mix growth strategy.

“We never stop looking for ways to maximize production from our renewable energy facilities because we know the role it plays in our overall strategy,” Moraza said in a statement.

On the back of strong demand for RE, AboitizPower continues to ramp up its portfolio of generation facilities across the country. (READ: LOOK: First half core profit of Meralco and AboitizPower)

Maximizing clean sources

Last October, AboitizPower’s run-of-river hydro business unit, Hedcor, signed a civil works contract with UK-based contractor Whessoe for its 19-MW Bineng Combined Hydropower Project in Benguet. 

The project aims to increase the combined capacity of the Bineng plants to 19 MW from 5.48 MW. This was approved by the municipal council of La Trinidad back in July.

In addition, Hedcor’s 69-MW Manolo Fortich project, also a run-of-river hydro unit, is targeted for commercial operations by early 2018. 

Once completed, the Manolo Fortich project will increase Hedcor’s capacity of 185 MW of clean and renewable energy from 22 hydropower plants nationwide.

It would also bring AboitizPower’s advanced hydro project developments to around 97 MW.

Aside from new RE businesses, Moraza said AboitizPower is also exploring ways to maximize existing RE sources.

“If we can maximize the potential to produce more energy from an existing resource, we will do it, and that is what we did with Maris, as well as the binary plant in Makban, and soon in Bineng,” Moraza said.

“And our teams will continue to look at these opportunities, as well as new greenfield renewable projects wherever they are available and viable,” he added.

AboitizPower and its partners currently have a total capacity of 787 MW from hydropower generation facilities, which make up 62% of the total 1,263-MW RE capacity. 

AboitizPower owns the 4th and the 7th largest geothermal power plants in the world, which are the 448-MW Makban Geothermal Power Plant in Laguna and Batangas, as well as the 234-MW Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant in Albay, respectively. 

In 2016, AboitizPower also launched its first venture into solar power in Negros. – Rappler.com